Pitter patter of paws
by RubyRedCase
Summary: Logan sees Marie all alone and can't take it anymore. So he goes and gets something for her.
1. Chapter 1: Ruff decisions

Rogue was sat in the lounge of the Manor with most of the teenagers in the mutant house. It was the the weekend and she was trying to watch the movie, but all she could remember so far was that the blonde guy did something stupid and the red haired girl had nice lipstick. She couldn't stop focusing on the giant empty space around her. She had room to hold her hands out to the side of her and not touch the people supposedly next to her.

Sighing, she almost lost her resolve to see the film through. Tales of what Magneto had done to her at the top of Lady Liberty and with the scene from when she had almost killed the Wolverine still fresh in their minds, it was very rare for someone to come within brushing range even when she was covered up. Even her friends were cautious of her again. _Heck_ , she thought, mind completely given up on watching the damn movie, _I could wear a ski suit and they'd still avoid me._

Logan turned away from the lounge door. He had seen enough. He had to do something about the gaping chasm before he left. He needed to find out about his past. But... He also needed to make sure Marie was going to be okay. He could smell the fear in the room from those damn kids and the heavy notes of loneliness from Marie. He had to do something. And... He had an idea.

Logan walked over to the garage, scouting a car big enough. A smirk worked his way into his face as he saw an SUV which practically stank of One-eye. He yanked the door open, hearing the satisfying crack of the lock breaking. Swinging into the cab, feeling the suspension give what would be alarmingly for someone else, he flicked out his lucky middle claw and jammed it in ignition. The SUV purred to life. _You've gotta admit, at least he always gets the good shit,_ thought Logan.

Feeling the gravel give as he floored the gas, he started thinking that he was overstepping. Not stealing One-eyes' car, that was pretty much guaranteed. No, he was second guessing doing this for Marie. Yeah, he'd saved her life twice, but was this too much? That spitfire hiding in the back of his camper had darn gone and changed his damn life. Honestly, who else would he got out his way for? She had climbed into his camper and made a space in his life, carving out a Marie shaped hole in his head. He'd never second guessed himself this much at the expense of someone else before. His instincts usually led him straight and if they didn't? Then he didn't really care about the other person anyway. But this... This was important. Marie was important.

 _Goddamn it, kid._

With the window open, the Wolverine was about to sniff down the closest animal shelter. Cruising up the street, he just nabbed an empty parking spot right outside the establishment. It had a... Strong smell and the Wolverine was bristling under his skin with all the scents of dominant animals. Logan shook off the urge to do something stupid like piss up the wall and sauntered inside like he knew what he was doing.

Inside the cheery walls of mint green were surprisingly clean. Bulletin boards full of missing dogs, offers for obedience classes, dog walkers and volunteer opportunities took up some space, but the big windows and the eclectic pet paraphernalia made it seem welcoming. Especially as they had cute canvases of some of the goofier photos up on the wall to give such a usually dark place some humor. You just had to get over the overwhelming scent of animals.

"Hello sir, how can I help you today?" said a chipper young woman who was walking from the back rooms. From the smell of disinfectant and metal, he'd assume it was the veterinary area.

"Uh, yeah, hi. I'm looking for a dog," Logan said in his politest tone. Which, admittedly, wasn't very polite, but he gets points for trying.

The woman bounced on the balls of her feet, a smile creeping on her face. This rugged standoffish man who she could tell was super uncomfortable was still slowly shuffling on his feet closer to the desk. "Okay! So what kind of dog do you need? Do you have an idea of the breed, size and temperament?" she said, walking round the side of the desk to lead the charming fellow to the kennels.

When she heard his boots behind her, she smiled a bit wider. She loved seeing the gruff and closed off guys with the dogs. They always looked in such a contrast. It was an awesome sight.

As she opened the thick kennel door, there was a pregnant moment before all the dogs started howling and crashing in their cages. She sprinted forwards towards the first kennel, trying to figure out what was wrong.

Logan sighed and hung back even further. He had the niggling feeling that that would happen. Animals had always been skittish around him, but being trapped with no way to get away? Yeah, he'd freak out. From the few times he had been trapped, he did. With adamantium claws and removal of door and some heads thrown in for fun.

"That's on me," Logan coughed, as sheepish as he ever did. "Animals don't react well to me."

The woman looked dumbfounded. "Why do you want a dog then?" "It's not for me." "Oh! Okay!" she said, standing up from the still barking dog. When they had both stepped out and closed the door, the barking tapered off. Logan was just stood there with his hands useless at his sides.

Rachel, he now knew from actually glancing at her name tag, had a thoughtful look on her face. "What kind of dog did you want for your...?" she asked.

"Friend. She's just a friend."

"For your friend," Rachel said, with a slight smirk. From the look on this guy's face, she was more than just a friend. "So whatcha looking for?"

"She's... Been through some stuff and is having a hard time with other people. I thought maybe a dog would be good company when I have to leave." Logan tried to explain as best he could.

"So, a kind of service dog?" Rachel was bouncing on her toes again. She loved working with the service dogs!

"I guess? Look I don't even know, all I know is she's lonely and I can't always be there." Logan huffed.

"Okay. I have an idea," Logan's face slightly shuttered from the extreme enthusiasm coming from this girl. "I grab a few dogs and take them into the play area. This way we can see which one reacts okay to you, as I'm assuming you want to be able to be near your girl while she's got her dog?" Rachel had a slight smirk on her face again, already walking towards another door, this leading to an outside area. "Now usually we'd have to have the person whose pseudo-serivce dog it's going to be come in to find the perfect match for them, but I'll pass this off as a 'gift' of the books." Logan was surprised. She was being so accommodating. He wasn't going to argue it, he just wasn't used to people being nice to him for no reason.

"That.. Would be very kind of you." Well that sounded enough like thanks for him to get away with.

"You're welcome. Now just answer a few questions and I'll go grab the dogs." Rachel spun on his heel to face him, taking a serious face. "This is a very important decision, Sir. You need to be sure."

"Yeah, yeah, I get you." Logan nodded, actually listening to her. This petite woman was solid in a way he was unused to. She reminded him of Ororo. Strong willed and always looking out for other. In this case, dogs.

"Good," Rachel smiled again. "So. Size? Breed? I have a vague idea of temperament, but anything you can say will help narrow it down. Age? Gender?"

"I want them to protect her. When I'm not there. I want her to feel safe with it. I don't care about the size, but I guess big? And age doesn't really matter to me," or so he told himself, often, to try and make himself feel less guilty. "Neither does the gender. I just want her to feel protected and comfortable."

Rachel tilted her head, her mouth scrunched up in thought mentally going through the dogs up for adoption. . "Hmm... Okay, wait here!" She had the stride of a determined woman as she walking back to the kennel.

Logan was left standing in the middle of the patch of land, looking around. He saw a big dirt patch with lots of holes in it, grassy area, tires laying around, even one tied to a tree to create a kind of swing. Water bowls were everywhere, as were rope toys and balls. It was doggie play heaven.

He heard the heavy door open once again, this time accompanied by the skitter of claws again the floor. He turned around to see Rachel holding 7 leads, all attached to huge dogs. She smiled at his raised eyebrows and started releasing them from their leads one by one. They all shot off into the play area, eager to stretch their legs and thoroughly ignoring Logan.

"So, whatcha think?" Rachel said, smiling as she walked closer to him. His body language had changed, a bit more defensive as she'd let the dogs off, as though worried about them coming to bark at him.

"They're large."

"Yes, yes they are. But they're some of the most protective breeds and more likely to be intimidating enough to deter people from attacking your 'just friend'." Rachel hadn't taken her eyes of the dogs yet, paying attention to their body language around the man. They still ignored him "Well, Mister...?"

"D'Ancanto." Logan said without thinking. _Damn, didn't even think not to give Marie's last name. It's not like I know my own_.

"Mr. D'Ancanto, which dogs do you feel drawn to?" Rachel was a big believer of instincts when it came to her furry friends. They knew and responded well to their human counterparts. The humans just had to let their instincts choose their perfect companion.

Logan looked over the dogs properly this time. There was a pitbull like dog tearing into a tire on the ground. A slim grey dog was running round the edge of the garden at a speed even Logan was impressed with. 2 longhaired dogs were playing tug, one with a ginger and black coat and one black and grey. A huge dog was lying under a tree, chewing a bone almost the size of Logan's hand. A large stocky dog with mostly black fur and with bits of tan was digging a hole and a spotted grey and black dog was attacking the tire swing as it swung past him. They were just dogs to him, he didn't know the breeds.

He turned to Rachel with a bit of a lost look. Rachel laughed. "So, the one over there digging is Rosco. He's 2 and half years old and a Rottweiler, fully trained. His breed is used in the police as they're highly intelligent. They're rather dominant dogs so you need to be careful about that." Logan nodded, but didn't say anything.

Rachel continued, "The one playing with the tire? She's called Lady and she's a pitbull mixed with boxer. Those two breeds are super loyal but gentle unless their owner is threatened. She's 3 years old and a bit playful like most boxers are, but she settles well and thinks she a lap dog. Slobber and all," Rachel laughed.

She pointed over to the cluster of trees to the two dogs over there. "The huge one lying down is a Great Dane. They're known as the gentle giants. They're more of a deterrent, what with their huge teeth and bigger bark. But they're so loyal and super sweet. She's called Macy and she's a half a year old so she still has some growing to do and needs some more training." Logan's eyes widened. She still had growing to do?! She was huge already!

Rachel laughed at Logan's face again and continued, "The one attacking the tire? Yeah, he's a spitfire. He's a bull mastiff called Spike and is 3 years old. Again, very loyal breed, fully trained and aggressive when threatened. Not a great choice around kids, I hope that won't be a problem?"

Logan was already shaking his head. "Not possible, she lives near loads of kids."

"Okay then! I'll keep that in mind then, Spike won't be a good fit. Hmm, maybe the German Shepherd then?" she said, directing his attention to the two dogs playing tug. "They're police dogs, just like the Rottweilers, so again, super intelligent and needs lots of training. They're active so walks are good, but be careful of their hips, cause they're prone to hip dysplasia. This one is called Ace and he's only in here because his owner passed away. He was so protective of her and cried for a week. They're very sensitive dogs." Rachel said, with a sad twist to her mouth. "The one playing with Ace is Memphis, a husky. Husky are stubborn and strong willed. And very very active! They working dogs and need to be walked and exercised. Some people still do sled races with them, but you'd need a whole pack for that. Memphis is a lady, a year old and, well, training is going as well as to be expected with a husky," Rachel murmured with a rueful twist to her mouth. Logan huffed out a laughed. Memphis sounded like Marie, in a way.

Rachel smiled at his laugh and bounced on her toes again, at the encouraging sign. "And last but not least is Ginger." She said, following the still running dog around with her eyes. "She is a retired racing greyhound, 2 years old, trained again. Loyal to a fault and only here 'cause her racing career is over because of her age, bless her. She's used to being in kennels so knows how to behave alone. She'll need lots of exercise, but do not let her off the lead out of enclosed spaces. She can reached 45 mile per hour and you will not catch her. Trust me, we tried once. It was not fun."

She turned to Mr. D'Ancanto. "So. What are thinking so far?"

"That you sure know lot about dogs."

Rachel laughed. "Well yeah, I work here! And my parents were obedience trainers, we had lots of dogs around the house."

He looked around the dogs again. Ginger has stopped running and was drinking some water. She kept looking at Macy as she drank. As he watched, Ginger darted forwards with her speed, grabbed Macy's ball and darted off again, this time with a lumbering Great Dane puppy behind her. Rachel laughed, enjoying the dog playing. She loved watching happy dogs. Ace had finally won the game of tug and Memphis had taken the lose like a champ and gone to grab a toy exactly the same. They were both lying side by side, occasionally nipping at the others toy just for fun. Rosco and Lady had join cahoots and were throwing up dirt like there was no tomorrow. A huge hole was forming and they didn't seem to be stopping.

"We'll fill the hole with some plastic lining when they're done and make it a doggy paddling pool for a while." said Rachel. "Pretty much all the dogs here love water." She was comfortable throwing out random bits of information, she had figured Mr. D'Ancanto for a strong and growls type and didn't really mind. He was here for his girl, he was polite and seemed to respect the dogs. That's all she cared about.

She heard the front door open and excused herself. Mr D'ancanto needs to spend time with the dogs away.

When Rachel wandered back half an hour later after helping a chihuahua with a tick in his ear, she found an adorable sight.

Mr D'Ancanto had sat under the tree and he had a small congregation of dogs around him. He'd gone and sat next to Macy and Lady, Memphis, Rosco and Ginger had all joined them. He was murmuring at them, stroking them with all of them showing submissive behavior towards him, belly up or heads down. It was such a nice sight, especially compared to their reactions to him in the kennels.

As she wandered up to them, she called out, "You've made some friends then! Who do think would be perfect for your friend?"

Logan looked up, and his face was more open than ever. _Maybe this dog would be good for both of them_ , thought Rachel. "I'm liking Macy and Rosco. Memphis is too stubborn for her, Ace… just wouldn't work out. Lady and Ginger are too energetic. And with Spike, there are kids."

Rachel smiled. She was so happy he'd found some he liked. Now to narrow it down further. She sat on floor across from him, dogs in between them. "Why do you think Macy and Rosco would be good fits for her?" she asked, running her hands through Memphis' fur.

Logan settled further against the tree, thinking it through. This decision would change Marie's whole life. "Macy is big, loveable and loyal. She's got a good temperament. And… you'd never feel alone with her in the room." Rachel nodded, encouraging Mr. D'Ancanto to continue. "Rosco is exactly what I was looking for in a guard dog. But I also have to think about her comfort. Maybe Rosco wouldn't be able to give a sense of companionship."

She smiled at him worrying about his friends comfort. "You know rotties are some of the soppiest dogs. They'll protect you and everything, but they'll act as big lapdogs. And Rosco is in the soppy protective side of the scale."

Logan thought about. And thought. All the while, he scratching Roscos ears. Rachel already knew who he was going to take, but let him think it through. Taking on a living being to care for was a big responsibility. He'd make the decision himself.

"I'll take Rosco."

Rachel beamed.

On the drive back to the Manor, about 300 dollars lighter, dog is the seat next to him, dog stuff in the back and more than a few leaflets about service dogs and training, Logan hoped he was doing the right thing. You'll find out soon, bub.

The Professor felt Logan turn back up and paused in his writings. He wouldn't, he thought. And then blinked and checked again. _He did._ He sighed.

Meeting Logan by the entrance hall, Charles sighed again. Logan had a dog at his side and bedding, toys and everything under his arm and a look of sheer stubbornness.

"Now Logan, why did you think this was okay?" he asked, a bit perplexed. It wasn't even a small dog. It was a large dog. And it was against the rules.

The Wolverine growled and then clicked his tongue. Rosco sat at his side immediately, staring intently at the Professor. "He ain't for you."

The Professor saw a vivid image of Rogue sat in the lounge from Logan memories and the feeling of needing to do something and sighed.

"Just make sure, he doesn't do anything in the house. We will be discussing this later." he warned, as he rode off back to his office, shaking his head. He was in for a huge headache when the rest of the house found out.


	2. Chapter 2: Four (paws) me?

**Chapter 2**

Marie was sitting in her single room, finally free of the confining gloves that feel like handcuffs these days. The movie had ended about an hour ago and she'd been sat in her room alone since then. She knew dinner was coming up soon, but she didn't feel hungry. She felt desolate. Useless. Alone. She might as well skip it. Noone would notice. There wasn't any point. She was a leper in a leper community where even the residents avoided her. She was the lepiest of the lepers.

 _That is definitely not a word,_ snarked Eric Lenshier, the resident sass master of her head.

Throwing herself back onto her bed, she huffed a sigh, ignoring him. She should have taken the Cure. The residents of her head would have left her. She could have gone back to her parents and pretended the last year hadn't happened, that she hadn't sent her first boyfriend into a coma, ran away and tried to travel to Canada in the middle of autumn. She could have gone back and been a normal girl again.

But she hadn't. She hadn't done it. Because she had been stone cold terrified. And… she would have lost the man that saved her. Both the physical one and the one taking up a small corner of her , she had only truly felt like she needed to, because the bit of Bobby in her head hadn't been able to hide his true feelings. He had made her feel inadequate as a girlfriend. Which got her thinking she needed the Cure, to be a better girlfriend, to actually be able to touch her boyfriend. She almost couldn't handle it when the physical version had looked aghast when she said she thinking of actually going to get it. She wasn't touchable. And she wasn't worth it even if he could touch.

 _If he had really loved you, miene liebster, it wouldn't have mattered,_ Eric tried to comfort her. He was surprisingly caring when he wasn't all homicidal.

Marie sighed again. She had realised something when she had hidden up in her room after that horrible conversation with him. She wasn't Kitty. That's who he was comparing her to, even if he didn't know it. But she did. She had figured it out from the feelings the voice in the head exuded when she saw the other girl. Which is why when she was done crying, she had broken up with him, to let him go after the girl he really wanted. It just had to unfortunate side-effects of making her friendless. John had defected to Magneto, Kitty was awkward around her for going with her ex and there really wasn't many other people who were willing to risk dying to hang around with her.

 _They don' deserve ya darlin',_ growled Logan.

Except Logan. Logan stayed and touched her hair, and on a rare occasion, even held her hand, even if it was through a glove.

Marie sighed. She knew Logan would leave soon. His past called to him and he deserved the answers. She felt it even in the residue in her head, that need to know. But she couldn't help but resent it. He had a purpose, yes. It just wasn't with her.

Feeling melancholy and stuck in her own head, she almost missed the too quiet knock to her door. Confused, she rolled over and watched the door, just to make sure it was her door. Logan either banged the door or forwent knocking all together. Not many other people came close enough to touching, like her deadliness spread to it.

Just as she was about to give up and go back to moping, she heard a frustrated Logan say "Marie, open the door! My hands are full." She jumped up right away, swung the door open and then just… stared at the sight in front of her.

Logan had a dog everything under his right arm; bed, food, bowls, toys, bones, a short leash and a long one. The short one was in his left hand attached to a large black and tan dog who was looking up to her and wagging it's tail. Though it stayed in sit, she noticed, evidence of its training.

"What." Marie said in a flat tone.

Logan raised his eyebrow and hefted the load on his right side, "Wanna let me in? This is surprisingly heavy." Without a word, Marie stepped aside, not taking her eyes of the dog. It had such lovely warm brown eyes.

When Logan had dumped the bed on the floor beside her bed, with everything else thrown on top of it, he turned around, an anxious look on his face. He stared at Marie, who still hadn't taken her eyes of Rosco. He had followed and stayed in heel besides Logan and was sat quietly still at his leg. Her face was slowly softening and a sad smile was coming onto her face. Her eyes flicked to Logan's, a question and a plea in them.

Logan nodded, tilting his head towards the still patiently sat dog beside him. "He's yours."

Marie almost let out a cry, "What do you mean he's mine?" She clenched her elbows in tight hands to stop her reaching out to the _still patiently waiting dog._ "I can't touch him, I'll kill him."

Logan shook his head. "You can't hurt animals."

An ugly sound ripped through Marie's throat as she finally stopped looking into the soft brown eyes to glare at Logan. "How would you know that, huh? I hurt every living thing." _Which is why I'm alone,_ said the horrible voice inside her head, just this time it was her own conscious.

Logan took a deep breath, he had to word this right. Her happiness… it hinged on these next few words. "Because your mutation is a defense mechanism. To other humans. Only humans." _Please let me be right,_ he silently begged. _God, if you exist, for the love all that is good let me be right._

Marie started breathing a bit faster, her knuckles white as they gripped her elbows even harder. Rosco started a low whine at her distress, his head reaching forward even though he didn't break the heel command. _They really did train them well_ , Logan thought, unable to help it.

"You're… you're sure? I won't hurt him?" Marie said, inching forwards. She might be able to touch something alive, she might actually get comfort. This wasn't real. This had to be a dream.

"Yes." _Please let me be right._ Logan silently pleaded. _Please._

Marie dropped to her knees, the loud thump jarring, her hands slowly unclenching from her elbows. Her fingers were shaking as she reached out to Rosco. Rosco looked at Logan, who clicked his tongue and titled his head towards the kneeling girl. Rosco shot up from his sit, collided with Marie, knocking her backwards on her ass. She grabbed his scruff and just stared at her hands grabbing this living animal. And… she… she wasn't hurting him!

Marie let out a sob. Her hands gripping a little tighter. Rosco started licking away her tears, trying to make her feel better. She gasped a breath and then tucked her face in his scruff, sniffling back another cry. Rosco just shuffled closer.

Logan watched on, feeling emotions that he hadn't felt before build up inside him. Watching Rogue breaking down and letting herself revel in the contact without hurting them, being able to turn off the worry and just enjoy touch of the fur on her bare skin, the heat of her dog seeping into her, it was intense. He felt pleased as he stood watching on and a little scared knowing that this was an intimate moment that he had helped create.

After a few minutes of Rosco keening along with her crying, soothing her and letting her hold onto him, Marie looked up at Logan, who was stood with a soft look on his face as he watched her break down. She didn't feel ashamed of crying in front of him, all she felt was an intense gratitude towards him.

"He's real' mine?" she whispered, her southern accent strong from emotions, unable to loosen her grip on him. Rosco licked the last few tears off her face, huffed in her face and then curled up in her lap. Marie looked down at him with such hope that Logan almost wanted to turn away.

"He is yours, darlin'. His name is Rosco and… I got him for you." Logan felt almost shy, but shook it off. He wanted to go sit on the floor beside them, to revel in the touch. It was such a foreign feeling, wanting to be closer to emotional crap that he froze. And then he watched Marie look down at Rosco and watched Rosco start licking her face again and he moved without thinking. Thumping down to the floor beside them he put a hand almost next to Marie's on Roscos' scruff. She barely noticed, just looking up at Logan, still shocked that he had cared enough to do all this for her.

"What? I mean, why do this?" she asked, she finally managed to ask.

"Because you should never feel alone." Logan surprised himself by being honest. He ran the his fingers through the short fur, surprised how soft it felt. He tugged on Roscos ears and all he did was huff and shuffle closer to his girl.

Marie felt herself tearing up again and she threw herself forward into Logan's shirt-covered chest, Rosco still between them. She gripped the back of his plaid over shirt, completely overwhelmed. This standoffish man, of whom most were afraid of, had gone out of his way to get her something amazing and exactly what she needed. She felt his arms wrap around her, one of his hands stroking her hair. She felt a moment panic before she realised her hair was protecting him from her skin. Rosco had shuffled to the side slightly, but still had his paw on her ankle and his head on her calves, his hot breath a comfort against her stomach. She had a dog. _She had a dog!_ Logan had got her a dog! And she can _touch him._

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she couldn't stop saying it over and over again. She just gripped tighter, reveling in the hug of another human and the warmth of her dogs' breath.

"Aw darlin', it's okay," Logan murmured into Marie's hair. He had done the right thing. He did it right. He had got it right for his girl.

"You got me a dog!" Marie cried out, still unable to believe it wasn't a dream, as she leaned back, moving the hold the lapels of his shirt, she looked down at Rosco. His warm eyes and lolling tongue made him look more cute and loving than she would have thought of his breed.

They sat like that for a while, curled up together. Marie forgot about her skin for a few minutes and just enjoyed this simple pleasure that she hadn't had for a over year. A hug.

When they're legs had definitely gone to sleep and the floor was starting to hurt, Marie reluctantly leaned away from Logan. She looked at him, unable to truly convey how amazing this was for her. Logan smiled, so he must have understood what she was trying to show. She looked down to Rosco, who raised his head from her leg and titled it as if to say " _You done crying now?"_. She breathed out a laugh and heaved herself up, wiping her face from the lingering tears her new dog ( _She got a dog!)_ had missed when he had tried to clean her up. Her dog jumped up, sticking close, almost pushing against her thigh. Her hand instinctively went to his head, a comfortable height at her hip.

She felt Logan beside her, a solid presence at her back. Close and safe, but not too close to trigger her anxiety of killing him. Not that he could be killed, but… of hurting him. She never wants to hurt him. And after what he's done today? How could she?

She took a deep breathe. She had the Wolverine at her back and Rosco at her side.

"Let's go to dinner, kid."


	3. Chapter 3: Dog house or dining hall

**Chapter 3**

It was nerve wrecking. Even though she had Logan and Rosco beside her, she usually waited to eat until everyone was gone. To go in, with everyone already seated? Practically unheard of.

She felt her steps faltering the closer she got to the dining hall doors, her breath speeding up and stuttering in her chest. She swallowed hard and came to a juddering halt, her hands clenched at her sides. _I can't do it,_ she thought. _I can't do this._

Logan watched her slow to a jerky stop, in front of him. He watched her shake imperceptibly for a second before he gathered up the reserve to reach out and place his hand on her shoulder.

He felt her shudder under his hand, but, ever so slowly, he felt the tension start to leave her muscles.

Hands still so clenched the leather of her gloves creaked slightly, she glared ahead at the door. _It's just a door,_ she thought.

She jumped as she felt Roscos cold nose nudge her fist. She'd almost forgotten him in her panic. Loosening her fist to then pull lightly on his ears, she breathed deep. She looked into her dogs strong eyes and with Logan hand on her shoulder, she felt stronger. Maybe strong enough to face the stares she so desperately avoids.

Logan watched her, and decided to do something stupid. He slid his hand down Marie's shoulder, down her arm, barely skimming the cloth of her long sleeve, down to her glove covered hand. He linked their fingers, looking at them as if you concentrate on what he was doing.

When in truth he was just highly uncomfortable with how forward he was being. It was completely out of his range of capabilities. He just… couldn't deal with her being sad.

 _The colour of her leather gloves almost makes it look like I'm touching her skin,_ he thought. _And they're so warm._

He finally got the courage to look up Marie's face. She looked dazed and surprised, but when the eyes locked, her fingers tightened around his and she gave him shaky smile.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but right now, it's what I need. And I just want to thank you." Marie said, a little watery.

Then she turned to the door, and with Roscos ears before her fingers, and Logan at her side with her other hand, she squared her shoulders and walked into the dining hall.

When Logan and Rogue walked through those doors, with Rosco, an impressive Rottweiler, and the Wolverine at her side, the usual din of the food hall petered off quite suddenly. The rare appearance of Rogue was compounded upon the fact that the infamous Wolverine was stood there along with a very large dog, staring menacingly at the gawking students, as if daring them to make a move. A look that Wolverine was sporting too.

The noise level was so quiet that most of everyone heard the shocked gasp of a student, "They're holding hands!"

Suddenly, a male voice called across the room, "Pay up dude! I won the bet!" and the subsequent swear from his friend.

Logans eyebrow raised at that, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. He turned to Marie, who was blushing lightly. But she had gripped tighter on his hand, not welcoming the idea of letting go. She side eyed Logan smirking slightly and shared a small smile with him.

She turned to look out at the people who still hadn't stopped staring. Looking across the room to where the older generation usually sat, a mix of teachers and x-men, she saw a range of emotions. The Professor had his usual fatherly expression on, but as she looked at him, she felt a brush across her mind, something she only started noticing after she had almost drained Logan and Magneto completely on the God awful contraption that idiot metal manipulator made.

 _I'd say I resent that statement, but I really have no foot to stand on,_ murmured Eric in the back of her mind.

Whatever the Professor saw, he smiled slightly and inclined his head before turning back to his food.

Orora next to him was pleasantly surprised at this development, especially at the dog. When Marie locked eyes with her, she smiled at her and shrugged her shoulder in question. Marie almost laughed at her expression. Scott was sat next to her and his face, on the other hand, looked surprised and angry. He was glaring at their joined hands and Marie didn't want to deal with that just then. She didn't need to falter right then and… he might make her do just that. She quickly looked at the redhead sitting beside him, Jean. Jeans expression… didn't make sense. It was kind of scary. Ever since she had been brought back from being the Dark Phoenix by the sheer will of the Professor and Logan knocking her out, she had been a bit… off. When Roscos nose nudged her side again, she made the conscious decision to ignore the cold brush against her mind, so unlike the Professors', and focused on the fur of her dog's ears as she pulled them lightly. _I need to go sit down, my knees are about to collapse_ , she thought. _Why can't they just eat their food?_

Logan's hand still clasped in her own sweatier-than-it-should-be hand, she squared her shoulders again and clicked her tongue at Roscoe to follow as she faux confidently walked through the cafeteria to the only table left empty. Some heads turned to follow their trek, but at least some at least pretended to go back to their food.

When they reached the table, Logan guided her sit down, signaled Rosco to sit on the chair on the left of her. The table they had grabbed was against a wall in a corner and he had positioned Marie into the corner with her back to wall. She felt something loosen in her chest at the safety of the wall at her back, not having to worry about people brushing against her by accident and maybe touching her skin. And Logan had made Rosco sit on the outer chair so no one could touch her without leaning across the table or going through the dog. _Good luck, bub,_ thought Logan to any idiot stupid enough to try, as he saw Rosco settle into the cushion on the chair. He wasn't a small dog and he sat tall and proud, his game never wavering from his surroundings. _That Rachel wasn't kidding about him being trained,_ thought Logan, kind of smug.

Marie looked at Rosco, sat guarding her with a serious look on his doggy face. Touched, she reached out to pet his neck and he turned and his tongue lolled out his mouth as a little doggy smile. Marie couldn't help but smile back at her dog.

Logan stood watching them for a moment, uncomfortably happy with what he orchestrated. And then he coughed and said gruffly, "I'll grab the food, stay here."

 _Well, miene liebster, this isn't that terrible is it?_ murmured Eric, coming further forward in her mind. She felt the still strange sensation of her the German consciousness settle into what would be crossed legged sitting. He had gotten very zen since he'd been in her head. Unlike what Magento was doing being all corporal with a body and all. Marie had tried to avoid most of the information of what had gone on after the fight at Alcatraz. She hadn't wanted to deal with all that, she just wanted to be a normal kid.

She felt a spike of remorse from Eric. He still felt guilty when he felt her anxiety and fear whenever she thought of Magneto. She felt his vague thought of _ptsd-counseling-sorry-care,_ but shut that down. She didn't have post traumatic stress. She just needed to… not think about it.

 _Oh, darlin',_ came the rough rumble of Logan's voice.

 _Ah'm fine. Yall just mind ya own business._ She couldn't help but snap back, her southern twang stronger than she wanted.

She shook off the ghosts in her head, both literal and figuratively. Glancing up, she saw that some students were still staring, but most had gone back to the meals and only occasionally peeking. Marie couldn't bring herself to look up at the x-men table, not wanting to see that odd look in Jeans eyes.

As she glanced around she saw Logan on his way back with a tray full of two meals and bottles of water. Marie chuckled a bit the thought of the big bad Wolverine being grumpy not being able to find beer in the school.

Roscos head snapped around to the left, ears pricked up and alert. Marie leaned back slightly to be able to see past Roscos impressively large head. Bobby had gotten up and was making his way over, unpleasant face and all. Kitty was still sat, looking like she was slowly sinking with a look of uncomfortable horror, staring after Bobby.

Rosco must have felt her tense up. He raised himself up ever more, shoulder muscle starting to bulge, teeth coming into play as his lips curled up. Marie laid her hand on his neck to try and settle him, but honestly, it wasn't doing much because she just kept getting tenser with each step Bobby was taking to the table. The falter in his step when he saw Rosco bare his teeth didn't stop him as he grit his teeth and barrelled on. She hadn't spoken to him since they broke up two months ago.

Bobby reached the table. Rosco was wound up tight, as was Marie. He glanced wearily at the dog, but made the conscious to ignore it.

Roscos muscle bunched just as Bobby demanded "Rogue, what's going on?".

 _Bad move, bub_ , purred Logan in her mind.


	4. Chapter 4: Iced out

**Chapter 4**

 _Ah crap,_ thought Marie.

 _Seconded,_ snickered Eric. He had never truly like the dope his host had been fond off. The child was… Too simple minded. Plus, he had hurt her. And when you get a front seat to pain, you tend to resent the cause of it.

"I'm serious Rogue, what the hell is going on with you?" Bobby demanded, taking another step forward, his arms fight ready at his side.

The growling that was emanating from Roscos barrel chest got louder till most of the cafeteria was staring again. This much attention directed at her again in such a short time was making Marie tense up even more. Which in turn made Rosco even more tense, his hackles rising up and he started to stand up on the chair. By this point, Wolverine had reached the table, practically throwing the food on the table. The water bottles fell over and rolled off the side of the table. The loud banging and the noisy plastic crinkling made Rogue flinch. At the sudden movement, Rosco stood up fully, his hackles up, teeth bared. His had moved so his whole body was between the perceived threat and his new owner, his feet perfectly balanced to jump off the seat.

In the background at the x-men table, Charles was looking on with his hand on the control of his chair, an intense look on his face. Jean had a look on her face that Marie would later remember and call it vindictively smug; as if she didn't expect anything less of a disaster to happen.

"Bobby, Ah dunno whatcha talking abo-" Marie in her southern twang managed stuttered out, her hand gripped tight on Roscos collar, both to hold him back and ground herself.

 _He has no right to come storming over here,_ Eric said indignantly. The metal knife and fork started to clatter lightly against the table. The more emotional Magneto got, the more control Marie had. Though maybe control isn't the right word, as she had little to no ability to focus it. It was like a hurricane inside her and she was getting access to let it out. And not in a good way.

Just as the Wolverine was moving his hands to his sides, ready to pop his claws, the Professor turned to his left and said, "Storm."

She turned to look at his face and swiftly nodded, "Yes Professor." As she stood up, her eyes turned white and she quickly made a controlled rain cloud right above Bobby's head.

The sudden indoor downpour and the rather high pitched yelp was enough of a stall of the impending debacle. Rosco hadn't stopped posturing, but his growling had quieted at the small amount of water splattering against his nose. Logan couldn't contain his bark of laughter. He rocked back on his heels, unable to control the smirk on his face, thoroughly enjoying seeing the brat soaked.

Marie also couldn't help the giggles bursting out of her mouth. She tried to hold then back by holding her hand over her mouth, but seeing Bobby looking like a drowned rat, icicles starting to form at the ends of his flattened hair and the edges of his clothes, it was just too much after the oppressive atmosphere and stress of the last few minutes. If they were a bit manic and high pitched, she didn't think anyone would call her out on it.

Rosco, at her laughter, turned around, pivoting surprisingly gracefully on the small seat for such a large frame. Head tilted at the odd sounds his owner was producing, he stared at Marie, his dog face confused. This just set Marie off on another giggle fit, her whole body shaking with laughter, her hair falling over her face. She was close to tears and she couldn't really tell if it was because of laughing so much or being over anxious just half a minute ago.

Bobby's soaked body was slowly icing up the longer he stood there, embarrassed about what had just happened.

"Ororo, I meant go over there with me and break it up." sighed Charles, rubbing his forehead. The emotions being forced on his mind was starting to grate on him, beginning a headache behind his eye.

Storm barely looked repentant. "Rogue has been ostracized for the last few months. I remember what that was like. And that boy hasn't spoken to her for weeks. He needed to cool off, don't you think Professor?"

Charles just signed again. He could feel her slightly vindictive righteousness brushing against his mental space and decided to leave that discussion to another time. He looked up at Bobby, still slowly icing over. _Much later_ , he thought despondent. _The children get uptight so easily._

The silent chair glided across the room, most of the laughter tapering off as he passed the tables. Marie was still giggling lightly, trying to control herself. The underlying distress undercutting everything in her mind pierced Xavier somewhere deep. It reminded him vividly of the fractures of Eric's mind when he first reached out to him that day with the submarine.

Logan heard the electronic wirr of the Professor's chair coming up behind him. His smug smirk heightened and he strided past the Iceboy to slide past Rosco's chair to stand behind Marie. Even when Logan was right in front of Rosco, he shifted slightly to continue staring at the idiot boy. He didn't pay any mind to Logan being behind his back, he understood that the large man was protecting his girl as well. Marie's shoulders were still shaking slightly, a note of hysteria rising in her giggle. He glanced around, wary of the other people in the room and then looked back down at Marie, her shoulders still shaking, the gasps of her breathes getting laboured.

 _Fuck it._

He set his mouth and reached out. His hands curled around the ball of her shoulders. She trembled under his palms. Her body was practically vibrating and Logan tightened his fingers, pushing down into her skin. He could feel her muscles tense and became as if stone and then, after a heartstopping moment, he felt the muscles loosen and her lean back into his body. Her tremor settles slightly, becoming not as bad. To feel her settle back into his warmth, her head resting on his abdomen, her shoulders loosening and falling from the tense position beneath her ears, it made something warm settle in his gut. He looked down at the top of her head, seeing the light tear tracks on her face, her eyes shut and the stress lines still prominent on her forehead. It made him feel like though he done the right thing, he wasn't doing enough for her.

 _You're doing more than enough, my friend._ At the sudden voice of Charles in his head, Logans' hands gripped too hard where his hands were still resting on Marie. He glared at Xavier, yelling some very rude words in his mind. Xavier couldn't help the small smile curling at his mouth; he knew he shouldn't have intruded, but was in such turmoil he was unwittingly projecting enough to comprehend what he was thinking, even with his hard skull making him a difficult read.

Marie, at the sudden hard grip, had looked up at Logan, her head still resting against his stomach. Her wide doe like eyes looked too vulnerable looking up at him, and when he finally moved his gaze down to her after glaring at the Professor, he felt like he got trapped in those green eyes. He couldn't handle it and he practically ripped his eyes away from hers.

Rosco, at their side, still hadn't settled, his hackles were still up and there was still a low rumbling growl coming from him. The Professor was still slightly off to the side and the people in the room were still quieter than usual, most still interested in what was unfolding in front of them. Bobby was almost completely covered in a layer of ice, his head down and hands fisted at his side.

The embarrassment and frustration was turning into anger in Bobbys' mind and Charles quickly turned his attention to the young man.

"Bobby, let's go get you dried," he said pleasantly, already turning his chair to the door. Bobby continued to glare at the dog and the Wolverine, before suddenly turning around. The sharp cracking of the ice around his feet made Rosco drop into a pouncing stance and gnash his teeth. Marie startled and choked on her breath, pressing further into the warmth of Logan at her back, almost hiding behind the bulk of her dog.

Kitty, who till that point, had just watched scared, jumped up and ran to her boyfriend's side as her stormed out the food hall, the Professor and Ororo following behind them.

Logan couldn't look down again, he wasn't ready to face her vulnerable face yet, so he kept a look at the faces around them. Rosco, with the hostile presence mostly gone, had settled against their girls side, basically blocking her from the views. While most were still curious enough to keep their attention on their corner, but some had turned away. As his eyes passed over the X-Men table, he saw the most ugly expression on Jeans' face. Scott was still hostile, but the look of almost pure hatred on Jeans' face brought up his own hackles.

He needed to get her to a safe place. He could still feel her trembling slightly. He needed to get her out.

Leaning down so his face was against her ear, her deadly skin blocked by her hair, he said softly, "Come on, darlin'. Let's get out of her." Feeling her jerky nod, he reached over her shoulder, feeling her duck her head slightly, but not flinching away from his body, like she would with other people. He grabbed the water, 2 apples and a yogurt each and then reached for her gloved hand in her lap. Pulling her up from her chair, keeping her close to his side, his protective instinct in overdrive right then. The emotion he saw in Jeans' face had triggered something inside him and he just needed to protect her.

With Rosco at her other side, Logan made a b-line for the door.


	5. Chapter 5: Behind closed doors

**Chapter 5**

When Marie, Logan and Rosco reached her room, she just seemed to collapse inwards. Her breath grew shorter and her knees felt like they were going to collapse. She yanked off her gloves, unable to stand the feel of them constraining her anymore. She couldn't breath. She couldn't think. Her stupid prison, those leather and cloth handcuffs. A constant reminder she is toxic, both inside and out. Her legs fell away, her breathing becaming erratic. She couldn't move her hands from where they'd wrapped around her stomach, even when her nails pierced the skin of her forearms, creating half moons of blood.

Rosco started whimpering as soon as he felt her panic clawing up her throat and began pawing at her hands when she had fallen to the floor, desperate to get through to her wherever she was in her head. The panic Marie was feeling was setting off all the senses Rosco had. He was practically crawling into her lap, his fur covered body scrabbling under her chin and forcing her face into his scruff.

 _Toxic. Broken. Toxic. Broken. Toxic. Broken. Toxic._ A broken mantra inside her mind, blocking even the strongest personalities in there. Including hers. _Toxic. Broken. Toxic. Broken._

After gasping and trying to get even a little breathe in, Marie seemed to finally register that Rosco was there. Not hurting him. He was pressed so tight against her, his whines were vibrating her chest. Not harming him with her skin. Touching him. Feeling his fur on her skin. With a breathy cry she could barely breath out, she latches onto him, reminiscent of how she did when she realised she could touch. Rosco kept up his whines, long noises and chuffs of air and slowly Marie started to regulate her breathing to his whining. And the more she matched it, the slower Rosco breathed, until she was no longer hyperventilating and was just crying into his neck. He kept snuffling against her, having climbed into her lap, his large frame dwarfing hers as he kept her grounded, solid under his bulk. His scruff was covered in tears and snot, but he barely noticed, so intent on the breathing of his girl. He barely noticed the nails scratching at his skin as she held on so tight.

And all Logan was stand at the side, useless. The 10 minutes it took for her to settle back from a panic attack, all he could do was stand there useless. He didn't want to move too much so as to draw attention to himself because he honestly just didn't know what to do to help. She'd taken her gloves off, and as much as it killed him to not be there, his stomach aching with the knowledge of every action he couldn't take, because she could kill him. She was exposed, vunerable. And he remember how that felt, waking up, clawing out the tank and running, bare to the world. He would have and did kill. He would never put her in that position. Every occasional distraught cry almost made his knees collapse. Every hiccuping breath made his claws itch to come out and hurt whatever hurt her. And he could nothing.

He could only watch and wait for the dog help it pass. It was like watching a ocean crash against the ship, a ship with fractures and breaks everywhere, and being unable to do anything about it. He had done the only thing he could have done; get her something that would help with these episodes she so vehemently denied having. But he knew the signs. He'd been through the damn signs, goddammit. He had been where she is. Is still there in some ways. And now he had to suffer and wait for them to pass through her, knowing that he'd done all he can. For now.

It took almost half an hour for she finally seemed collapse into herself, exhausted. She had curled around Rosco, who was still whining lightly into her body, licking at the exposed skin he could reach. Logan had felt useless the whole time and he had finally ending up kneeling beside her, unable to do anything but wait for it to pass. He tried to reach out when she had seemed settled enough, to comfort her and she had thrown herself into hysterics so bad that her voice broke on one of her distraught cries and hadn't come back. The image her silent screaming will be added to his nightmares. The metal in the room had begun to shake in her distress. The Wolverines skeleton had felt like it was burning through his skin from the way it had vibrated inside him. He had backed off quickly, only able to watch as Rosco started a low howl to draw attention back to him. The low howl was melodic and soothing. The whines that were emanating from Rogues throat started to match the pitch, until she was almost breathing semi-normally again.

All he could do was wait it out, let Rosco do what he needed to do. He couldn't touch her, at least not yet, not when she was so worked up. Logan couldn't even imagine how many times she had had to suffer through this by herself. He almost couldn't make himself think of the amount of times she had come into this room and gone into such an intense panic that she couldn't even scream, only to go to sleep collapsed in a heap on the floor. He tried counting how many times he'd seen her walking stiff from sleeping on the hard floor and the bags under her eyes, but there was too many days of that to count. He wanted to rip something apart, all the hurt inside him making him want to lash out, at the thought of this woman, barely out of girlhood, taking this on alone. The blades were starting to slice the skin of his knuckles, grounding his enough to push them back inside.

 _No more._ He had thought with grim determination, kneeling down again beside her. Not touching, but close to her shaking and silently crying form. Rosco barely turned his head to look, so focused on his girl, still softly howling that tune.. _No more. I will be here._ He would make sure of it. Damn finding his past, this… this was something he couldn't think too deep about right now, but. It was important.

It had taken another 10 minutes for her to work herself down from the hysterics, Logan lightly murmuring to her to whole time. It had been nonsense, useless words, but it was all he could have done. In the end, she was curled around Rosco, shaking slightly. Even when Logan had softly said, "I'm going to touch you now," she had barely seemed to respond, no flinch or movement when he did finally reach out to stroke her hair lightly.

Logan, even with his healing, was feeling the ache of being sat on the floor for so long. He couldn't imagine how sore Marie would feel after shaking against the hard wood floor for almost an hour. He wanted to get her up to the bed where she could rest properly, but she was completely passive, like she wasn't in her head at all. He didn't think he could coax her up to get her into bed when she was like this. He looked down at Rosco, still encased in her arms, her hands lax against his fur now. He was looking back up at him, as if commanding him to do something for their girl.

Logan gritted his teeth again and made the decision. She was so out of it that maybe she wouldn't notice. Shuffling forwards, he slid his hands under her torso and legs. She was like a rag doll and there was no response from the hands touching her. She was also very hard to shift into a feasible position to pick her up. But with his strength and a bit of gently juggling, she was safe in the cradle of his arms, leaning against his chest. He was very glad he was wearing a plaid over shirt that day, as her hands were bare and he didn't want to cause her to go back down that dark hole again by hurting him. He could take it, but he didn't think Marie could at this point.

Rosco stood attentive at his feet, keeping out of the way as he carefully walked the young women over to the bed. As soon as she had laid her head down onto the pillow, the vigilant dog jumped up right beside her, curling into her again. Marie seemed to shuffle ever so slightly, drawn to the fur she knew she could touch, as if by instinct. With his fur pressed at her side and the feeling of being safe, as if a protector was watching over her, she fell into a deep dreamless sleep, utterly exhausted.


	6. Chapter 6: Don't let go

Marie woke up groggily. The light was slanting onto the bed from the window. She squinted in the morning sun trying to think why she would forget to close her curtains. She was mesmerized by the a bird as it flew by her window. The flap of the wings were graceful. Sure of themselves as they flew through the empty air. Free in their confidence that the wings will hold them up take them to where they need to go.

Shifting slightly, she felt the warm body next to her. Instinctively she froze, her heart jumping to her throat in panic. When she heard Rosco's snuffling, a shaky breath was forced out of her lips as she turned to bury her face in his scruff. The dread she had felt reminded her of last night, the hazy memories causing her to push further into the fur. Rosco started whining, sensing her distress, a low keening sound meant to soothe. She was ashamed that Logan had seen her like that. She couldn't even remember how she had gotten into bed. She had a pit in her stomach at the thought of how she got there, of Logan carrying her unresponsive body into bed. The voices in her head were quiet and as unobtrusive as possible. Eric was blessedly quiet, but she could still feel his concern radiating from his little corner of her mind.

She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to face the day. She didn't want to eat or face anybody. She never did after a... bad night.

There was an almost timid knock at her door. She just stared at the blank wood, didn't make any noise. Rosco had lifted his head up and was staring at the door, but wasn't barking. It gave her an inkling to who it was. _Please don't let it be him. I can't. Not after yesterday._

"Kid?"

Logan. Shame flushed her face and she almost let out a whimper. She couldn't face him. She couldn't.

"Marie, I can smell your panic from here. I'll go, but I ain't ashamed of you."

 _But I'm ashamed of me! I should be over this!_

"I had the same reaction. I just didn't have anyone with me though."

 _Liar. You're stronger than me._

That thought was met with a push of memories from the Logan in her mind. Fear. Green. Panic. Curling up in the corner. Whimpering.

Marie flinched away from it gripping Rosco tight to her. His steady heartbeat gave her something else to focus on.

"Kid, I ain't gonna barge in but let me in. I ain't judging. Just. Let me see you're okay with my own eyes."

 _Please no._ She gulped, still scared.

"Marie. Please. I gotta know you're safe."

It was the pleading note in his voice that broke Marie. She slipped silently to her feet, Rosco hopping down after, his nails clicking lightly on the hardwood floor.

She opened the door in a slow, controlled manner, keeping behind the wooden frame in a poor attempt of hiding, her hair down hanging limp around her face, covering her face. Rosco was a heavy pressure against her leg.

"Oh darlin'," breathed Logan. He took a step closer. Marie flinched slightly. "I'm going to hug you," he warned.

He moved slowly, as if she was a spooked animal, his hands relaxed as he maneuvered his arms around her. She tensed as she felt the warmth of his palms press against her shoulder blades. She let herself be drawn in, too exhausted to do anything else. A low thrum of fear of touch made her tremble. Her arms hung limply at her sides as she was pressed against his large chest. She noticed the cloth under her cheek. It smelt like him, a tang of metal and grease from cars but warm and woodsy. She couldn't help but nuzzle into it. Her hands hesitated before they grasped tightly onto his over shirt. His hand caressed her hair, a gentle ghost over her head. She was still so tired.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, barely audible into his shirt.

Logan growled, the noise bringing against her cheek. "There ain't nothing to be sorry 'bout darl'."

He sunk his hands into her hair and she almost collapsed from the rush of memories. Her mother used to do this to her, massaging her skull when she was young, brushing her fingers and plaiting her long hair. Suddenly, she froze. Yanking herself away, she was blocked by Logan arms clamping around her. Before she could work herself up into a frenzy, Logan rumbled, "I'm wearing gloves, ain't no mishaps happening today. Relax darl, I got you."

She was too tired to do anything else except sink back into the hug, hands soothing against her hair again.

Logan did not know where this side came from, except there was a howling in him to gather the kid tight and never let go. He had stayed in the room the whole night, a silent vigil and whenever she had started to stir into nightmares, he had rumbled a deep sound in his chest he'd never heard before and brushed her hair lightly. She always settled back into sleep and he went back to watching.

It was only as the first light was cresting over the trees that he felt safe that she wouldn't wake in a nightmare. Rosco was there, in any case. He needed to go and change his clothes and dig out those darn gloves he never wore. There was a protective side of him that had been triggered and he didn't know how to turn it off or function. Seeing her collapse under the weight of the pain had made him hyper focused on _being there_ for her. He had long learnt to listen to his instincts. Even if he was uncomfortable with the emotions they brought out, he would follow them. He had no choice.

So here he was, in the only long sleeve undershirt he owned, it even covering up to just under his neck, plaid over shirt just in case and his thin leather gloves he had stashed away in his duffle. He wanted to take no chances. The craving he had to have her in his arms, to know she was safe and protected, even from something inside her mind, was too powerful to ignore.

The way she looked when she had opened the door, it goddamned near broke his heart. He needed her in his arms. The fact she let him was a relief. To feel her pressed against him now sated something inside that he was not focusing on too hard right now.

Hearing a muttering from the door, he glanced up to see a pair of students gaping from the hallway. It was almost midday on a Monday, but some of the kids were wandering around between classes. Rosco shifted, still pressing against Marie's leg, and growled at the interlopers. Logan shifted slightly so as not to disturb Marie and flicked his foot out to shut the door. Marie didn't even notice Rosco growing or the slight bang as it shut in the girls faces.

Taking a deep breath of her smell, clean soap and lavender and _Marie_ , he prepared to pick her up once again. Moving so slowly he was barely moving at all, he bend his legs and slid one of his hands down to scoop her up behind her knees. Marie jerked slightly when he knocked her legs out from under her, but then she just curled tighter against him, her head tucked under his chin, fingers a death grip in his over shirt. He moved to the bed and settled softly against the headboard, Marie curled up in his lap. He had a feeling he wasn't going to let go for a while and neither was she.

Rosco had followed them up on the bed, his heavy head on Marie's feet, another point of contact for the kid, another bit of warmth to help her through.

Touch was a primal need for humans and she'd been deprived it for so long. He _needed_ in a deep visceral part of him to care for her, some switch inside him at her broken body last night got broken and couldn't be turned off anymore. He didn't know how.


	7. Chapter 7: To vest or not to vest (Pt 1)

I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN THIS STORY! I PROMISE! I just had the worst case of writer block, hence the short chapter. But! Here's hoping I can kick my own ass and get this part finished

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It took almost an hour of her just ensconced in his lap, but her hands soon loosened their grip on his shirt, her body wasn't so tightly wired and her toes were slowly wiggling against Roscos jowls. They watched as the sun rose higher and higher, making the tops of the trees glow as it passed them on the way to the sparsely clouded sky. They heard the students going off to classes, a stampede of feet hurrying not to be late. Marie didn't even twitch. She wasn't going to classes today. She never did after a bad day. Most of the professors understood that and let her be. They could understand her skipping a few days here or there after what she had been through.

Rosco chuffed suddenly, causing both Logan and Marie to tense, before they both looked down at the dog. He was had gotten down off the bed and trotted over to the door before looking expectantly back at them. He chuffed again at them and pawed at the door.

"I think he might need to go out," rumbled Logan. Marie felt the vibrations against her hands and finally clocked how close the two of them had been for the last hour in silence. With a startled breath, she slid from his lap. She hadn't changed, still in jeans and a bra, which thinking about rather unhygienic, but she was just grateful Logan hadn't changed her last night. Gather up a few things, she went to her ensuite, muttering about getting changed as she left the room quickly.

It only took a few minutes, even with a quick brush of her hair and teeth, before she was back and sliding her boots back on. She barely remembered slipping them off the night before. Logan had moved to beside Rosco and was holding her green hooded coat out and a thicker pair of gloves that had been on the dresser. With a small smile, she clutched both of them to her chest, sliding past him without touching his warmth to get to the door. Making sure to grab the leaflet for how they trained Rosco, she opened the door a crack and peered out to check if anyone was there. She really wasn't in the mood for people. Coast clear, she slipped on quiet feet to the closest outside door, Rosco and Logan right beside her. Shrugging into her old coat, feeling the old wool and the ghost of home settle on her shoulder, she slipped the thicker gloves on over her thin ones.

Logan was walking as close as was comfortable. When she let her hands fall to go to her pocket, their fingers brushed. She quelled the instinctive reaction to flinch away and after a moment's forced stillness, she let their fingers join together.

Logan didn't show any outward sign, but his fingers wrapped around hers comfortably tight and strong.

As soon as they opened the door leading outside, Rosco shot off to do his business. They watched as he trotted off to a nearby patch of grass. Marie felt the wind against her face and sighed. She closed her eyes and just breathed in the fresh wood smell. Letting her eyes drift shut, she just let the breeze across her cheeks.

Logan watched as she turned her face to feel the cool air across her skin. She was so pale. She had spent so much time hiding away, even from the sun.

As soon as Rosco finished up, he trotted happily back. Marie patted his head as praise, and then, with shaking fingers, grabbed the leaflet out of her pocket.

How to train your service dog! read in bold letters at the top, a picture of a happy child and a dog right underneath the writing. The boy was young, but cuddling his dog, the dog's vest still clearly visible. Marie was dubious that this would actually work. Logan saw her doubt.

"I spoke to the woman at the shelter. She said that he had been screened for service training and had shown promise. If he'd stayed any longer, they would have put him in a program. Plus, he's only 2 and a bit years old and already has basic training." Logan said, wanted so badly to reassure her that he had thought this through.

Marie put a soothing hand on his arm. It was still odd to see the Wolverine showing this slightly earnest side of him to her.

"Okay," she said, as soon as he looked back up to her eyes. "Okay, I'll try."

She'd been raised better than to refuse a potentially useful gift. Especially from the man who saved her life. Even if she felt she didn't need it, cause she wasn't broken enough for a service dog.

She looked back at Rosco again. Sighing again, unable to stay focused on the eager dogs face, she looked around at the impressive grounds of the school. The open space and the hundreds of windows were making her feel vulnerable. Looking at the forest that lined the edge of the manicured lawns, she felt drawn to it.

Without thinking, she slipped her hand into Logan's and started pulling him off to under the trees. He didn't really question it, just let himself be led into the shadowy area. It took a bit, but soon they were all under the cool shade. Maries shoulders loosened as soon as she lost the feeling of open vulnerability.

Logan looked down at the commands Rosco apparently already knew. "Rosco, sit." The rottweiler butt dropped the ground immediately, focused completely on the man. Logan raised an eyebrow and looked back at the commands. "Rosco, down." Lowering himself, Rosco laid down on the forest floor, still focused on the man. "Rosco, stand." And the dog stood up, again staying focused on Logan.

"Y'all weren't lying about him being trained," Marie said, with an unreadable expression.

"He seems better trained than most people," snorted Logan, still watching Rosco standing patiently. Turning to look at Marie, he said. "We need to get him a vest."

Shocked, Marie jerked to face Logan. "A vest? Why?"

"He's your service dog," Logan reminded her. "It's recommended that they were vests to say that they are a working dog."

"B-but, people don't need to know that," stuttered Marie, looking pale.

Logan quickly stepped closer, hands going to settle on her shoulders. "Okay, it's okay. You don't need a vest for him. It's okay."

But Marie wasn't settling down. She could feel her breath coming too quick again. She couldn't calm down. The thought of people pitying her, it was too much. She was so tired! She was so damn tired. She didn't need people staring her at even more than they already do. She didn't need to broadcast that she was broken, oh god, she was so broken.

Logan felt his own skeleton grow heavy, as he'd felt when up against Magneto. It wasn't a sensation he ever wanted to feel again. Looking at the panicking girl, who was rapidly crashing into another panic attack, he really needed to calm her down.

"Marie, darlin', you don't gotta do anything you don't want to," he cajoled softly, his hands raised in a placating gesture towards the still panicking girl. Her eyes were still glazed over in panic. His hands felt like they were dragging through mud, the weight of Magneto's powers making it hard to keep the placating gesture up. It was only when he the weight of his skeleton made him grunt and stumble, that Marie's panic seemed to crack slightly, allowing her fear filled eyes to lock onto Logan's.

A small whimper escaped her throat as she pitched forwards into Logan. All the weight of the magnetic force instantly vanished and he was able to step forwards into her fall. Catching her around her waist, he held her to his chest, listening to her hitching breathe. His nose twitched at the sharp acidic notes in her scent.

"... No vest, can't-," she weeped, her hands grasping at his jacket. "-please, no, people seeing-no vest-"

Logan looked down at the dog at their feet, sitting worried gazing up at the crying girl. As Marie's crying gained momentum, Rosco started keening along with her.

Slowly, Logan lowered them both to the forest floor.

"-so tired, Ah'm so tired," the girl continued weeping.

"It's alright, darlin'. No vest, it's okay." Logan soothed, running his gloved hands through her hair. She was curled up in his lap again, the ground cold and damp under his ass. He didn't care about his jeans slowly getting wetter, he just wanted to make sure she was okay. Part of that was making sure she wasn't touching the wet ground, so she was sat across his legs sideways. It was good thing his legs didn't go dead, cause he had a feeling this was going to take a while for her to calm down. He tried not to think too hard about it just now, not wanting to look too close at his motivations right then. He just went his instincts. Rosco nuzzled forward, resting his muzzle on her shoulder to keen in her ear. Logan saw her turn towards the dog's jowls, resting her cheek against him.

Her cries were already slowing down, but every so often a hiccuping sob would break through again. Logan sat quietly, just holding her.


	8. Chapter 8: To vest or not to vest (Pt 2)

Logan was right. It took almost 10 minutes of Marie hiccuping and crying to fully calm down.

"You're purrin'," Marie said, voice husky and broken. With a jolt, the Wolverine realised she was right. "No, don' stop. I's nice," she murmured, snuffling back down into his chest.

Logan paused, uncertain. He'd never _purred_ before. But holding his girl in his lap, it was nice, even though she had been crying. A slow rumbling started deep in his chest again, definitely sounding like purring. Marie hummed and relaxed even further into his arms. They stayed that way for a while, listening to the brush and trees around them.

It was another 20 minutes or so of peacefulness before there was a prickling sensation at the back of his neck. Time on the running had heightened his vigilance to almost paranoia. It was well earned paranoia, he'd almost been blown up at one point.

It was like a ghostly hand, creeping their fingers up his spine. He tried to keep his twitching to a minimum as he subtly scented the air, trying to figure out who was there.

 _There_. Burnt hair and an electrical storm.

A growl rumbled out of his chest as he smelt Jean creeping around the forest. She was trying so hard to be subtle, but her stench couldn't be hidden from Logan.

"Logan?" Marie asked, quietly into his chest. She still didn't want to look up from where she was curled into his chest. It was dark and she felt as though no one could see her.

Logan didn't say a word, just secured Marie in his arms and carried her. Her small "Eep!" didn't stop him and she settled back into him within a few moments. She was nestled too far up to curl into his chest again, but she was in the perfect position to nuzzle into his neck. Logan jumped at her cold nose, at the presence of someones mouth _fangs_ at his throat, before he settled back into his quick walk away from their stalker. It was Marie after all.


End file.
